The Original Game » e playoffs because of a higher Sagarin rating t

Ill never forget the first time I spoke to Max Walker, because I felt like I was in a 12th Man sketch. Blue Moon Odom Jersey .It was May 2007, and I was working on a feature on Australian Test cricketers who had also played AFL football. It was not the kind of story that needed interviews, but it did require illustration. Max was one of the most recent players to have achieved the double, and he had his own website with a photo gallery.So one Friday afternoon I filled in the contact form, politely asking permission to use one of his photos, expecting an email reply from whoever managed Maxs website, hopefully granting permission to use the photo. The weekend came and went, and by Monday morning my attention was on other work, and I had temporarily forgotten about the feature. Until my phone rang.A distinctive voice said: Hello Brydon, its Max Walker here.For years, Id had a running in-joke with one of my cricket-loving mates to answer phone calls in the style of Billy Birmingham. Hheeeello, Max Walker, wed say. To which the caller, mimicking the Wired World of Sports II script, would reply: Max, its Richie Benaud.The next line from that sketch - Yeah, bullshit, who is it? - was pretty much what I felt like saying myself. I had been with Cricinfo, as it was then, barely six months, and by cricket media standards was a complete nobody. But remembering my email from a few days earlier, I twigged that Max Walker really had dialled my number.Instantly he put me at ease. Sure, I could use the photo, but Max just wanted to talk footy. How the legendary coach Norm Smith had come to Tasmania to sign him, how he moved to Melbourne for football first, architecture second, and cricket third, but eventually realised he had to let one of his passions go and gave up football. He tried to name as many others as he could who had achieved the football-cricket double. He mentally filed away a couple of names I gave him that he didnt know.And then - 12th Man fans will appreciate this moment of life imitating art imitating life - he asked me if I had a copy of his new book. I kid you not. In Wired World of Sports II, Richie Benaud replies to the same question tersely: Of course I havent. Despite Richies protests, Max insists on sending him a copy anyway. I was much more polite, and was grateful when a week later a parcel arrived in the post - a copy of Caps, Hats and Helmets, along with a signed note thanking me for my interest.I made a mental note to ring Max back one day for a wider interview, and four years later I finally got around to it. He was open to speaking about anything. How the touring lifestyle of a Test cricketer led to the breakdown of his first marriage. How he and his mother struggled with the death of his sister Lexie, at just 38, and how the humour of the 12th Man parodies helped his mother through the grief.Notably, he was forward thinking. He wondered out loud if Test cricket was in danger of being killed off, and suggested reducing it to four days, with some of the match played at night. And unlike many ex-cricketers who believe that your opinion only matters if you have a Test cap, he suggested that the Argus Review (ongoing at the time) needed more insight from non-cricketers. Theres a tendency to think, hes a legend, and hes a legend, so they ought to know. But thats not necessarily the case in life, he said.Poignantly, he also spoke of how for more than four decades his life had been centred around the MCG. While a student of architecture, he also worked as an apprentice painting the MCG seats, and at one stage operated the old scoreboard that has now been moved to Manuka Oval in Canberra. I go to the MCG so much even these days, to speak at conferences or launches, he said. Its great to be able to look out the window and unlock a filing cabinet of memories.He always had a way with words, hence his success as an after-dinner speaker and author of anecdotes. But as an architect and avid photographer, he also had an eye for the visual. After our interview in the café of the RACV Club in central Melbourne, I asked if I could take a photo to go with the story. Walker remains the only subject I have ever photographed who set up the framing himself. He wanted something distinctly Melbourne, so we set up on the tram tracks as a tram went by.And then he decided to have a bit of fun. How about I give you a bit of the old bowling action? he said, duly posing with the fingers upright in correct seam position. Or a bit of hoooowzaaaat? Crappy photographer that I am, I didnt manage to get these action shots in focus, so I didnt use them for the interview. All the same, they capture the sense of fun that was such a clear feature of Maxs personality. He was not only willing to poke fun at himself, he actively wanted to.I feel greatly privileged to have had my moments with Max Walker. I know Im not alone. Especially remarkable was this reader comment published on News Ltds online story of his passing on Tuesday:As an 11 year old seeking autographs after a World Series game at VFL Park my brother and a couple of mates missed the last bus to the station (we lived in Altona!) Max Walker gave us a lift to Glen Waverley station in his Statesman. We could not believe it, have never forgotten how great and friendly he was. The memories outweigh any punishment received when we got home after midnight. RIP Tangles and thanks again.Always putting people at ease, was Big Max. William Contreras Jersey . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Babe Ruth Jersey Large . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. http://www.custombravesjersey.com/custom...large-377z.html . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. (STATS) -- A number of teams were left to wait and hope for FCS at-large playoff bids, but 10 teams were going to have automatic bids in hand by the end of Saturdays big day of college football action.Jacksonville State (Ohio Valley), Charleston Southern (Big South), top-ranked Sam Houston State (Southland) and South Dakota State (Missouri Valley) clinched their respective conferences bid on Saturday, joining six teams that already had qualified for the 24-team field.The playoff field, which includes 14 at-large teams, will be announced on an ESPNU selection show at 11 a.m. ET Sunday.Eastern Washington (Big Sky), James Madison (CAA Football), Lehigh (Patriot), Saint Francis (Northeast), San Diego (Pioneer) and The Citadel (Southern) had clinched automatic bids prior to Saturdays action.The Ivy League (co-champs Penn and Princeton), MEAC (North Carolina Central) and SWAC dont send their champions to the playoffs.---=STATS FCS TOP 25=---=Saturday, Nov. 19=All Times ET=---=No. 6 James Madison 63, Elon 14=James Madison (10-1, 8-0) finished off a perfect season in CAA Football by gaining 699 yards of offense. Quarterback Cole Johnson, in his first start, was 12 of 13 for 274 yards and two touchdowns to Domo Taylor, while Khalid Abdullah rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown.---=William & Mary 34, No. 7 Richmond 13=Kendell Anderson carried the ball 42 times for 219 yards and two touchdowns as William & Mary (5-6, 3-5) ended a five-game losing streak to rival Richmond (8-3, 5-3), which might have blown a seed and first-round bye in the playoffs. The Spiders also lost quarterback Kyle Lauletta to a possible season-ending knee injury.---=No. 14 Charleston Southern 28, Kennesaw State 7=Darius Hammond carried the ball 17 times for 153 yards and two touchdowns as Charleston Southern (7-3, 4-1) earned a share of the Big South title with Liberty and claimed the automatic playoff bid.---=No. 19 Lehigh 45, Lafayette 21=In the 152nd meeting of college footballs most-played series, Lehigh (9-2, 6-0) completed a perfect season in the Patriot League. Nick Shafnisky passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Troy Pelletier.---=No. 20 Wofford 17, VMI 0=With its third shutout of the season, Wofford (8-3, 6-2 Southern) likely locked down its first playoff bid since 2012. Lorenzo Long rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown.---=Wagner 31, No. 25 Saint Francis 24=Wagner built a 31-7 lead after three quarters to prevent playoff-bound Saint Francis from winning an outright Northeast Conference title. Duquesne gained a share with the Red Flash (7-4, 5-1). Seahawks quarterback Alex Thomson passed for 263 yards and three touchdowns while the defense had three interceptions against Saint Francis Zack Drayer.---=No. 2 Jacksonville State 33, UT Martin 7=Jacksonville State (10-1, 7-0) finished unbeaten in the Ohio Valley Conference for the third straight season. Quarterback Eli Jenkins rushed for four touchdowns and the Gamecocks intercepted four passes (Jaylen Hill with two) in the first half.---=Montana State 24, No. 22 Montana 17=Montanas collapse from playoff contention -- four losses in its final five games to finish 6-5 -- was finalized by archrival Montana State. Quarterback Chris Murray sparked the Bobcats upset by rushing for 142 yards and two touchdowns.---=No. 4 North Dakota State 28, South Dakota 21=The five-time reigning FCS champion Bison (10-1, 7-1) followed Easton Sticks three touchdown passes and a 369-yard ground assault to a road victory and a share of their sixth straight Missouri Valley Football Conference title. Lance Dunn had a game-high 145 yards on 14 carries and the Bison held the ball for 37 minutes, 10 seconds.---=No. 24 North Carolina Central 42, No. 9 North Carolina A&T 21=North Carolina Central (9-2, 8-0) won the MEAC title to power into the Celebration Bowl, where it will face the SWAC champion Dec. 17 in Atlanta. Quarterback Malcolm Bell had 315 yards of total offense (184 passing, 131 rushing) and accounted for three touchdownns. Jerry Royster Jersey. A&T (9-2, 7-1) hopes to secure an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs. All-America running back Tarik Cohen gained 82 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.---=No. 15 Youngstown State 65, Missouri State 20=With an unstoppable run game, Youngstown State (8-3, 6-2 Missouri Valley) likely sewed up its first playoff bid since 2006. Joe Alessi (seven carries, 190 yards, two touchdowns), Martin Ruiz (19-183-3) and Jody Webb (15-166-2) helped the Penguins average 10.6 yards per carry while rushing for 572 yards.---=North Carolina 41, No. 5 The Citadel 7=The Citadel (10-1), the Southern Conference champion, lost for the first time despite outgaining its ACC opponent 371-356 in offensive yards and holding the ball for 42:25. Grant Drakeford scored on a 28-yard run in the fourth quarter.---=No. 13 Villanova 41, Delaware 10=Villanova (8-3, 6-2 CAA) won the 50th renewal of the Battle of the Blue as quarterback Zach Bednarczk had 273 yards of total offense and four touchdown passes and running back Matt Gudzak gained 175 yards from scrimmage and scored twice.---=No. 17 Grambling State 47, Texas Southern 28=DeVante Kincade threw for three touchdowns and Jestin Kelly (133 yards, one touchdown) and Martez Carter (122 yards, two touchdowns) led the run game as Grambling State (8-1, 8-0) remained unbeaten in the SWAC.---=East Tennessee State 15, No. 18 Samford 14=Samfords bid for a playoff berth took a serious hit in the Southern Conference. ETSUs J.J. Jerman kicked three field goals, including a 28-yarder as time expired, and the Buccaneers (5-6, 2-6) held Bulldogs quarterback Devlin Hodges to a season-low 122 passing yards and no touchdowns. The Bulldogs are 7-4, including one win over a sub-Division I team.---=Southern Illinois 44, No. 23 Western Illinois 34=Western Illinois (6-5, 3-5 Missouri Valley) likely worked its way out of the playoff picture by allowing 20 unanswered points in the final seven minutes of its third straight loss. SIUs Sam Straub won a quarterback duel with WIUs Sean McGuire, throwing for 450 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions.---=No. 1 Sam Houston State 59, No. 11 Central Arkansas 23=Junior Jeremiah Briscoe completed 27 of 42 pass attempts for 431 yards and seven touchdowns, leading Sam Houston (11-0, 9-0) -- the only unbeaten team in the FCS -- to the Southland Conference title. He has thrown a conference-record 52 touchdown passes, just four off the FCS season mark. Central Arkansas (9-2, 8-1) entered the game allowing only 16.8 points per game.---=No. 8 South Dakota State 45, Northern Iowa 24South Dakota State (8-3, 7-1) gained a share of the Missouri Valley title with North Dakota State and secured the automatic playoff bid as the result of a win over the Bison last month. Jake Wieneke (seven receptions, 136 yards) caught two touchdowns from Taryn Christion and threw one to the Jackrabbits quarterback.---=Alabama 31, No. 12 Chattanooga 3Chattanooga (8-3) held a 3-0 lead after one quarter against the nations top-ranked team. Quarterback Alejandro Bennifield was 16 of 21 for 106 yards.---=Northern Colorado (6-4, 4-3 Big Sky) at No. 21 Cal Poly (6-4, 4-3), 9:05 p.m.=---=Friday, Nov. 18=---=No. 3 Eastern Washington 35, Portland State 28=EWU overcame a 28-21 deficit after three quarters to clinch a share of its fourth Big Sky title in five years. The Eagles (10-1, 8-0) claimed the conferences automatic bid to the playoffs because of a higher Sagarin rating than North Dakota, which will receive an at-large bid. Sophomore Gage Gubrud threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner to Kendrick Bourne with 8:19 left to play.---=Thursday, Nov. 17=---=No. 16 Coastal Carolina 42, Liberty 7=DeAngelo Henderson rushed for 139 yards and three short touchdowns, sparking Coastal Carolina (9-2) to its sixth straight win.---=Idle=---=No. 10 North Dakota (9-2, 8-0 Big Sky)= ' ' '